Published by
Kyodo News
Kyodo News
World Baseball Classic MVP Shohei Ohtani and other Samurai Japan major leaguers have returned to their respective spring training homes in Arizona and Florida a week before the opening of the season. St. Louis Cardinals outfielder Lars Nootbaar, whose personality and gutsy play helped him establish a big Japanese fan base while representing his mother’s native country, appeared in an exhibition game Thursday in Jupiter, Florida, going 0-for-1 with a walk against the New York Yankees. While expressing his wish to play for Japan again, Nootbaar told reporters Ohtani had surprised him with the gi…